Comfort
by Rosebud5
Summary: Pippin is scared. He's living in a nightmare, and he knows it. This "Quest thing" is far more dangerous than he ever imagined, and he's horrified of losing those he loves. And so he turns to Merry...The one thing he has that he knows will never go away. NOT SLASH!


Right, so college has kept me crazy busy, but over Christmas break, I've kind of gone on a writing spree. So! Here's a very short little one-shot for you all. It's pretty much movie-verse, and takes place somewhere right before the Ent forest in _The Two Towers. _I apologize if any information isn't exactly accurate... Time lines have never been something I'm good at. Anywho! I hope you all enjoy!

Dislcaimer: I am not J.R.R. Tolkien, guys. But really.

~Rosey

* * *

**Comfort**

Pippin sat with his knees drawn to his chest, his chin resting atop them, looking out across the lake before him, the water reflecting the stars above. After days and days of traveling through dense forests, he and his cousin Merry had at last found a peaceful lakeside to camp by for a night or two. Pippin looked back over his shoulder at the still, sleeping form of his cousin, curled up under his cloak, his curly blond head resting on his bent arm. The younger hobbit looked back at the lake, running a small hand through his brown curls. He had tried and tried to fall asleep, but every time he tried, he saw Frodo's face when he had been stabbed, or Gandalf's face as he fell down down _down _through the darkness, or Borimir's face when those arrows made contact… He had no idea what he had volunteered for when he begged to join the Fellowship on this "quest thing."

It was when Borimir had been killed before his eyes that it truly struck him that this was, in fact, war. It wasn't just an adventure or a stupid little outing or something he'd look back on with a giant smile and laugh as he did with most things… People were going to die. Good people. Bad people.

_Good people…_

He looked back over his shoulder at Merry and for a split second his cousin was too pale… His chest wasn't moving with breath… He was deathly still… And then the vision passed as Merry let out an undignified snore, rolling over and snuggling further into his cloak. Pippin looked away again, and when he did he found something wet in his eyes. He blinked and felt the wetness spill down onto his cheeks. He quickly brought up an arm and scrubbed it across his face, sniffing. He shut his eyes and when he did he saw Merry… dead… again. Pippin's eyes sprung back open with more tears in them and let out an involuntary sob.

Shaking slightly, Pippin got to his feet and went over to his cousin, kneeling down by his sleeping form. Sniffling again, the younger hobbit reached out a hand and gently shook his friend's shoulder, whispering hoarsely "Merry? Merry, you awake?"

His cousin squinted up at him, yawning. "Well I am now." But then he saw Pippin's face and he woke instantly, sitting up quickly. "Pip? What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Pippin tried to answer but suddenly found himself hugging Merry tightly, tears falling from his eyes onto his cousin's shoulder. Merry stiffened in surprise for a moment before he hugged Pippin back, stroking his younger friend's curly hair gently. "Pip? What's the matter? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I didn't have a nightmare," Pippin shook his head. "We're living in one."

Merry blinked, surprised to hear these words come from his usually cheerful, playful cousin. "What?" he looked down at the trembling hobbit in his arms, furrowing his brow.

"I…I'm scared, Merry," Pippin admitted quietly into the other hobbit's shoulder.

Merry almost asked "Scared of what?" before he realized he was scared too. He just nodded then, hugging his cousin tighter. "I know, Pip. I am too."

Pippin snuggled in closer to his cousin, sniffing. "Merry… People are going to die."

"Yes," the older hobbit nodded simply, though he felt sick as he said it.

"Good people. Like Gandalf and Borimir."

"Yes."

"Like…like us?"

It was now a question, and Merry bit his lip before shaking his head. "No. We'll be alright, Pip."

Pippin wasn't sure he believed Merry, but struggled not to push the matter. Instead, he asked another question, a dozen inquiries shoved into one word. "Frodo?"

Merry fell silent, rubbing his cousin's shoulder absently with his thumb before answering. "He'll be alright too."

Pippin heard the uncertainty in Merry's voice, however, and the tears came again, this time from a vision in his head of his other cousin Frodo laying still in the dirt, his face pale, his neck bleeding from the weight of the chain bearing the Ring around his neck, his bright blue eyes closed, his dark curls limply fluttering in the hot breeze of Mount Doom.

"He has Sam," Merry's voice cut through his thoughts, and Pippin looked up into his friend's comforting eyes, smiling a little. "And you know Sam will keep Frodo safe. Just like I'll keep you safe."

Pippin nodded. "And I'll keep you safe too, Merry. That way, nothing can happen to us. Right?"

"Right," Merry nodded, ruffling Pippin's curls. "Now I'm tired, can we please get some sleep?"

But as Merry leaned back to lay down, Pippin ended up going with him, curling up beside his cousin. Merry looked down at his friend and laughed slightly, shaking his head. "I take it you're sleeping here tonight then?"

"Yes," Pippin replied simply, snuggling in close to Merry.

"Alright then," Merry smiled with a snort of a laugh, running his hand through his friend's hair. "Good-night, Pip."

"Good night, Mer." He was quiet for a moment before mumbling quietly "Merry?"

"Yes Pip?"

"I'm hungry."

* * *

And that's the end! A little humor there to finish it off. Well, I hope you all enjoyed it! If you did, PLEASE take the time to Review!

~Rosey


End file.
